


take this long and winding road

by Rupzydaisy



Series: in any other world [1]
Category: Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Character Death Fix, Christmas, F/M, Fix-It, Greek gods, Journey to the Underworld, Manticore, Memory Loss, Post Film AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-28 20:10:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17189585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rupzydaisy/pseuds/Rupzydaisy
Summary: “You know how we favour our heroes. The Pantheon has agreed that the mortal Steve Trevor will be granted his life back. His years cut short by his sacrifice to aid you will be returned, if you are true of heart.”Diana's knees almost buckled, but she caught herself before her surprise truly took hold. Hestia watched shrewdly as the young Amazonian fought to hold her tongue.“How?” Diana breathed out, dark eyes wide with the offer laid out before her.Hestia flared up and allowed the fire consume her again, “You will need to journey to the Underworld, and for this you will also need all the strength in your heart.”.2018 wondertrevnet Secret Santa gift fic - a Christmas fix-it with a dash of greek mythology and a sprinkling of snow





	take this long and winding road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eternal_optimist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternal_optimist/gifts).



 

Diana heard the voice as soon as she stepped through the front door, closing it on the deep frost settling outside. She stamped the feeling back into her feet but froze when she heard whisper, thinking it was Etta upstairs calling for her. Then it happened again, a soft call from further inside the empty house so she hung up her and coat hurried into the parlour, looking to speak with her friend.

The parlour was cold and the fireplace was unlit, although the curtains had been drawn and a candle left on the mantelpiece along with a box of matches. Diana plucked the note left on the side bearing her name, _Popped out to collect the mulled cider - Etta._

Feeling the chill in the room, Diana set about lighting a fire for the evening. Once done the flames leapt up in the fireplace and heat rose up to fill the small room. She held her fingertips out until they tingled and waited until the warmth returned to her cheeks and ears and sunk into her grey woolen dress. It was becoming a habit of her to settle down on the carpet beside the fireplace and watch the warm glow throw her shadow back onto the dark green sofa. On the other side of the room there was the empty bookshelf towering up on the wall, yet another part of the house that she supposed Steve would have occupied had he spent more time within its walls.

When Etta offered her the house as somewhere to stay, she had taken a brief tour alone, stepping through doorways and imagining how Steve might have moved about in each room, which scrapes or scuffs he had left behind in his brief time there. The whole place was sparsely decorated and she hadn't sought to add to the few homely touches Etta imposed on his space while he had been using between missions. It didn't seem right to fill the empty shelves or cupboards with things, so she left most of it as it had been, including his clothes hanging in the wardrobe and the few knickknacks he brought over with him. The picture of his parents still took pride of place on the masterpiece above her.

The fire crackled and Diana leaned back when a couple of sparks escaped the brick lip of the fireplace. She flicked them away from the carpet and then stilled when she heard the whisper again.

_“Diana.”_

“Show yourself.” Her voice was low but it travelled to the corners of the room, hitting the vine tangled print of the wallpaper and sinking into the skirting boards.  

Diana stood and scanned the darkened corners of the room for the speaker. Silence resumed again and she could only hear her own heart thumping in her chest. There was no intruder hiding behind the plush sofa or long drapes over the window. She frowned to herself and turned back to the mantelpiece, jumping back in surprise when she looked down at the quivering fire which morphed into a face that dripped sparks and spoke with a low rumble.

_“Diana of Themyscira, Daughter of Queen Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, I bear a message from the gods.”_

Diana braced herself as the face shifted and rose. She watched in awe as the mass of fire unfurled inside the fireplace and then stepped out from the brick arch to scorch the carpet, something she knew would fluster Etta when she discovered it. The fire-wreathed limbs became more humanesque and reshaped itself until it resembled a woman's form, albeit standing taller than a human woman by almost another foot. The faceless figure continued to burn bright and the force of the flames was strong enough to make the skin on her arms prickle under the thick sleeves of her dress.

“Who are you?”

_“I am Hestia.”_

“Hestia? But how are you here?” Diana leaned forwards, feeling the heat on her cheeks and revelling in the light. “Ares killed all the gods.”

Hestia flared brighter and the excess of light had white spots dancing across Diana's vision. She blinked them away, but didn't back off under the goddess’ hard orange glare.

_“Who do you think I am?”_

“You are the goddess of the hearth. My mother told me stories of you in the ancient days. Of all of you. You are the first, the first of the gods and goddesses.”

Diana immediately lowered her gaze out of respect and this recognition was deemed sufficient as Hestia reigned in her light to burn softer and golden.

_“I am hearth and home. And this is a festive time, centred on what I offer. The mortals look to their family and friends, and celebrate the miracle of life, now in the darkest of days. Winter takes it toll on the world, yet they have faith in the coming spring, because of me.”_

As Hestia spoke, she began to shed her yellow flames. The crown of her head was the first to peel away, revealing a thick mass of soft, dark curls. By the time the fire pulled back to her shoulders, Diana saw the pale skin and deep brown eyes of the goddess in human form. She emerged from the fire veiled in a dark blue robe that hung loose and billowed out and looked down on Diana with a thin smile.

 _“The humans still pray and believe in us, even if they don't use our names.”_ Her eyes met Diana's again, this time molten pride filled up in their depths. _“I still have some power, even if it is a shadow of what once was.”_

The flames rippled lower until they touched her bare feet and winked out of existence, leaving behind the smell of charred carpet in the shape of two footprints.

Diana’s shock was ebbing away and she began to realise what it meant to have Hestia stand in front of her. “Ares didn't kill you?”

“He did. And he didn't _._ ” Hestia replied cryptically, The rumble of authority and power emanated from her despite the more human trappings of her voice in her newly enclosed form. “He fought us all and won.”

“But…?”

“He hadn't been able to scrub our existence from the world. As if he could.” She gave a hard snort and stood a little taller. “We are eternal. There is a reason why we are called gods, Diana.”

She reeled back with this new knowledge, unsure of where it placed her. “I killed Ares.”

“Godkiller, you were made.” Hestia benevolent smile shone down on her, “It was your faith in humans that helped you to defeat Ares. Unlike him, you see humankind for what it truly is, and you have embraced this world for both its gifts and its faults. It is the conviction in your heart that makes you a great warrior, and a great woman.”

Diana pressed her lips together tight and shut her eyes. “At first, I thought that if I killed him, I would end the war.”

“You did kill him. And yet Ares will return. In time, in another form and when he does we will be ready for him.”  

“But they fought longer and harder until there were so many dead. Millions.”

“Because the humans have never fully bowed to the whims of the gods. Listen to me, Diana,” Hestia took hold of her arm and gripped tight, forcing Diana to open her eyes. “Despite of how far you've come, you still have much to learn.”

“Why are you here? You said you had a message for me?” Diana blurted out, twisting her arm under the heat of the goddess’ palm on her skin.  

“I do. You know how we favour our heroes. The Pantheon has agreed that the mortal Steve Trevor will be granted his life back. His years cut short by his sacrifice to aid you will be returned, if you are true of heart.”

Diana's knees almost buckled, but she caught herself before her surprise truly took hold. Hestia watched shrewdly as the young Amazonian fought to hold her tongue, and finally allowed her iron grip to relax.

“How?” Diana breathed out, dark eyes wide with the offer laid out before her.

Hestia flared up and allowed the fire consume her again, “You will need to journey to the Underworld, and for this you will also need all the strength in your heart.”

XXX

Diana followed Hestia through the dark streets of London. The soft glow from the streetlamps were mirrored in the small puddles between the uneven cobblestones, but in Diana’s eyes it was outshone by Hestia’s golden flares that unceasingly twirled around her. If anyone happened draw back their net curtains and look out of their window, only Diana would be seen walking alone dressed in a long beige coat and her aunt’s tiara. She had dressed appropriately underneath with her armour and had strapped her shield and sword to her back. Likewise, her lasso was buckled to her hip, and Hestia had given her an approving nod once upon recognising it.

They approached the canal-side and hurried down the slick steps. It was darker along the narrow towpath except in the circle of light that Hestia gave off. Her flames writhed around her limbs, emanating from her chest in thick fraying ribbons. Canal boats were lined up against either side of the low walls, some with their lights on and others with theirs snuffed out. The water sloshed loudly against the stone walls and Diana could hear music quietly playing from inside a red canal boat bobbing at its moor.

Hestia slowed as the path curved around the riverbend and then without pausing stepped straight into an almost invisible gap in the wall where she diverged from the towpath. It was cleaved straight through the bricks and beside her the river water broke off from the canal and led onwards into the darkness. As she followed, Diana reached out a hand to feel the opening and her fingertips caught on chipped bricks. Ahead of her, Hestia lit the way and the shadows retreated completely in the presence of her light. The gradient led them both downwards and the sloping riverbed slowly began to deepen until the opening widened and she was forced to wade through the knee high waters of the underground river.

“You said I would need courage, courage to do what?” Diana asked as Hestia climbed out of the river and up onto the river bank that emerged as the tunnel widened.

“You'll find out in time.”

Hestia gave only curt answers despite Diana's attempts to prise more information out of her. The loudest sound between them was Diana's footsteps on the rocky path. Around them the water played out a quiet, musical undertone. It dripped from the low, uneven ceiling, trickled down the damp walls and merged to gush into the smooth grooves that led away into the churning river. Even the air was heavy with cold moisture and it began settled into a chill in her lungs.

“I'll not be able to complete this journey with you.” Hestia’s voice was tight as her light began to dim. “I can only go so far from my source. There is no hearth in the Underworld because there is no life.”

At first it was imperceptible but as the minutes passed, they could both see how her flames had drawn closer to her arms and wrists. What had once been thick ribbons of light circulating her chest and neck, now were mere distinct strings. Their colour changed from a vibrant, fiery orange to a more mellow, liquid gold that fluxed in softer currents and pulsed lazily.

Diana wrapped her coat around her tighter, feeling the chill in the air that had begun to freeze her toes and prickle at her cheeks. “I understand.”

Gradually, the narrow tunnel widened until it could have taken as many as three canal boats side by side. The further inwards they went, they more Hestia dimmed until her form began to disappear. Her lower half was the first to go, then her arms and until finally only her fire encircled face remained. The defining features of eyes, mouth and nose had sunken into the flames, although when Hestia widened her mouth, she could still deliver her final words.

“I can go no further Diana.” She sounded almost apologetically and her unseeing eyes were fixed on her niece. “But remember, we expect great things our favoured ones.”

Diana nodded to herself as the last shred of light vanished into the dark. She shut her eyes and allowed them to adjust. The rush of water had slowed until it ebbed gently and smelt damp and dingy so far from the surface. When she looked over, she could see that the stagnant water was muddied. She waited until her heart slowed down and then she finally continued on, one step into the darkness at a time.

The grey tunnel widened out at its end and a set of torches hung on the jagged walls. Between them stood a large stone doorway covered in thick ropey lines of moss. Barely pausing in the doorway, Diana pushed on, only to skid to a halt and flatten herself along the side of the wall as a hot breath of air was huffed her way out of the mouth of a great beast. Above it the ceiling was covered in long stalactites that winked dangerously, glistening with collected water. There, sitting inside the doorway was a three-headed dog with black, shaggy fur and each of its heads turned to face her as she approached. The bulk of it dripped with the same water that coated the walls and floor of the cavern. .

“I know you.” Diana whispered and edged closer to the nearest maw with its sharp, yellowed teeth. “You’re Cerberus.”

A smile ghosted across her lips when the beast renowned for eating the flesh of the living foolish enough to try and pass growled at her. The sound rumbled in her bones and echoed back from behind her ribs. Its wet noses sniffed the air as one of its great paws clawed at the ground, digging out a large furrow almost as deep as a trench. Diana skirted around the wall until she was standing underneath its heads, looking up into the flinty eyes.

“Hestia told me to come here. I am to bring Steve Trevor back, will you let me pass?”

Its tongue lolled out of its mouth as it sniffed deeply again. She was well aware that its teeth had rented many mortals looking to venture into the Underworld and steal back a loved one’s soul. But Cerberus growled low and long and finally allowed her to stand close, bending its neck so that all three heads bumped against her face and shoulders. With another juddering push it allowed her to pass by its leg before lowering itself to the ground to rest its head on its front paws. It watched her move on with only a final, open mouthed growl that set her teeth on edge.

It was not until Diana felt the hot air on her back that she realised there was something else, something that she had forgotten. The thought engulfed her and with that, her heart sank into the pit of her stomach.

“I have nothing to pay the boatman.”

Her voice echoed back at her, lifeless and hollowed out as Diana considered the inconvenient truth that she hadn’t travelled with coins under her tongue. She hadn’t rice in her hand either, or flowers tucked under her chin. While Diana carried precious weapons; her sword, shield, and Hestia’s lasso, she also knew those weren’t items that the boatman was known to accept. There was only one other treasure tucked into her coat pocket which hadn’t left her side since it was pressed into her hand. She slipped a hand in to let her fingers knock against the glass face and brush over the soft leather strap of the watch. Her stomach lurched again and an uneasy feeling rose up when she considered she might have to use it to bargain her way across the Styx to speak with Hades.

Diana followed the river down, until its the channel came to an end and it swept out into the still waters of the Styx. There was already a figure waiting for her by riverbank and she didn’t break her stride on her way down the steep slope. It had been easy to assume that it was the eternal ferryman but as she got closer she realised that the figure stood tall and proud, very much like Hestia. His dark cloak was folded elegantly and held in place with a gemstone studded broach on his left shoulder that glinted brightly in the half light.   

“Diana, Princess of Themyscira, welcome.”

His voice was soft but stern as Hades turned to face her with the silvery reflection of the rippling water cast on his dark skin. He, like Hestia, towered over her by several feet and also carried a sense of gravitas even in the small incline of his head. Despite his imposing height, he wore a bland smile, almost verging on warm, as he invited her closer.

Diana skidded down to the end of the bank where the damp dirt crumbled under foot to fall into the water with a hard splash. She straightened up to face the God of the Underworld and cleared her throat, “Hades, I am honoured to meet you.”

Hades nodded at her, speaking plainly and quickly as his brows weighed down over his solemn eyes. “I know why you are here, and I am inclined in the same way as Hestia to allow you to continue. But you understand that I cannot allow mortals to leave the land of the dead easily, otherwise everyone would try.”

“Then why allow me to come here?” She frowned back and dug her heels into the dirt.

“We, myself and my brothers and sisters, feel that you should be given the chance.” He paused and smiled at her confusion, “Diana, if you believe in love as much as you say, then this is your greatest challenge, and perhaps your greatest victory.”

It sounded like a double-edged blade to her, but there was no need for her to consider the offer again so she replied without hesitating, “I am ready for your test.”

Hades spread his large hands, “It’s simple enough. You have already shown you can love a human for all their flaws, for their mortality and their darkness. You'll need to complete this one task, and if you do so, then he's all yours.”  

“And this challenge?”

Her hand slipped to her belt and rested on the clip holding her lasso into place. As she did, she noticed that he didn’t carry a sword of his own and while his sandals were plain, now that she stood closer she could see that his cloak was liquid onyx, deftly made and intricately stitched with silver along the hem.

“One that shows you are still...worthy of our attentions. When my brother leant his hand to the humans to aid their poisonous weapons, he sourced the poison itself from the Manticore by binding it to his will. Without this, the Manticore has roamed closer to a human settlement and is now terrorising them.”

As Hades spoke, a tightness pinched around his eyes and he looked worn down in a way that surprised her. “Godkiller, this Manticore is a threat of the old world and should not roam free in this new age. It threatens more than you can imagine. If it breaks loose from the woods, it may send the humans back to the Dark Ages, pitting their terrible new weapons against the teeth and fire of old monsters.”

Diana shifted on the spot, coiling up against the weight of the problem. “Where?”

“Isleworth, where the river Thames bends by the woods. It’s remained hidden so far but they have will take up arms to try and fight it once they realise it’s there. If they do venture deep into those woods, they will not return alive.” He shrugged, and waved a hand at her, “They need a champion, Diana of Themyscira, and I believe we shall see great things from you.”

Hades handed her a small compass etched onto a polished black stone. It glowed gold brightly when it dropped into her palm. “This will lead you there.”

“Consider it done.”

Diana tipped her chin up and nodded respectfully once more at the God of the Underworld. Then she turned to climb up the banks of the Styx and back towards the tunnels leading up to the surface.

XXX

The God of the Underworld turned to his side and the air to his left himmered as Steve rippled into existence. The mortal man pulled off the silver helmet and held it up for the god to take back. His lips parted as he watched the armoured woman disappear over the top of the riverbank and wondered if he should call out to her. Hades watched in silence, eyes narrowed as the spirit of the mortal floundered on the spot.

Even as Steve stood there with his voice caught in his throat, because he couldn’t entirely remember what the woman in armour was, he knew she was important. Also, it was hard for him to figure out _if_ he was allowed to speak to her with the God of the Underworld towering over him, especially after Hades had given the helmet to him.

He wasn’t sure what to expect, but Hades remained there on the banks of the river Styx and made himself look busy by surveying the far edges of his kingdom. It was a contrast to the inner halls and the Meadows, where he had called up Steve from so that he could be personally addressed in the Great Hall. Despite knowing he had been summoned for a reason, he had felt very small standing in front of the exquisitely carved ebony throne overlooked by heavy boughed, gnarled pomegranate trees.   

“You are wanted back.” Hades finally said and glanced at Steve from the corner of his eye before correcting himself. “No, you are needed.”

“She...seems determined.” His eyes remained fixed on the top of the blackened grass that Diana had disappeared over, still stunned that she had been wearing armour underneath her beige coat.

The God smiled to himself when he saw the flicker in the mortal’s eye, of a thread leading back to his human life and how it endured despite drinking Lethe’s water. It was a rare and unusual matter of fate, one he would definitely question its spinners when he had the chance.

Hades gestured for them to walk, and they set off down the banks back to the heart of the Underworld. “Yes, the Godkiller is nothing but. Yet, it would be wrong of me to not offer you this choice.”

As they followed the water’s course, Steve saw how the light and life of the world touched upon the depths of the earth and left a glossy sheen on everything in sight. Colour, although dimmed by the lack of light, encroached from the tunnel with shades of green peridot rock protruding out from the cavern that Cerberus guarded. Further inwards and towards the heart of Hades’ kingdom, the colours were more muted and shifted into darker greys. Together they walked on the rich ochre clay path that led back to the Meadows with its rippling long grass where mortals, who in the grand balance of their lives, had done neither great nor awful deeds.

“You have earned your peace in death, Steve Trevor.” Hades spoke in a low tone, a softer rumble which he used to offer some rarely given comfort. “No matter what my brothers and sisters wish, this is still my kingdom and I do not have to bend to anyone’s will, least of all Zeus. I say this because although you died in battle and your sacrifice led to victory, you died in fear and pain and I would not take this afterlife from you if you wanted to spend it here.”

Steve was surprised by the implication, and he was equally unable to hide his disbelief. “Hang on a second...Sir. You mean, I could go back? Alive?”

Hades’ reply was simple. “Yes. Now tell me what do you choose?”

“Now? I mean, wow!” Steve tipped his head up to the roof of the cavern and the gems studding the chandelier hanging from it. “Who _was_ she? I mean, she seemed really...you know. And you were both talking about me, but I don't remember anything.”

“She was Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Zeus and the Queen of the Amazons.”

His washed-out blue eyes widened and then narrowed, “You're not kidding, are you?”

“I am not.”

“Right.” Steve said flatly and stared at the empty doorway, trying to imagine what his life had been like, what _she_ had been like. It was a wonder to think he had forgotten her, but everyone who ended up in the Asphodel Meadows had forgotten their lives because they had to. “You said I deserved this, being here?”

Hades frowned, “You died in fear, with great courage.”

Steve fell silent and stared down at his boots. “I'm not sure about that, Sir.”

“While the Elysian Fields are for the greatest of heroes, you know that, at least, yours was no short feat. It was your actions that allowed the Godkiller to stop Ares’ plans to rid the world of humans, and in doing so allowed our return.” Hades moved onwards towards his throne and asked over his shoulder, “What do you think of her? She's about to attempt an impossible task, all for the sake of a chance to win your life from my realm.”

Steve considered the proud woman who squared up to the God of the Underworld and would now be readying herself to battle a Manticore, a monster, to win back his life. When he answered, he found that his uncertainty was fading.  

“I'm not really sure what to think, but I believe she’d do it.” He let out an airless sigh, and cast his eyes around the hall of the King of the Dead and the wonder implied about how the world really spun. “I guess I have a choice to make.”

“Would you like to see for yourself? Before you give your answer?” Hades made his final offer.

Steve nodded and braced himself when he felt cold air fold up around him.  

XXX

Diana finished her battle and lay on her back, bloodied with a bruise on her chin that was going to take a good day to heal properly. She winced when she bent her leg and slowly clambered to her feet. There was a gash on her bicep and her coat had been ground into the dirt where she had tossed it off in haste as the Manticore charged at her. The aftermath of the battle was strewn around her. Both her and the Manticore had thrown enough damaging blows to level the trees around them. Snow begun to fall gently in small flurries that clumped together in the bitter wind. They swept amongst the remaining trees to hit the ground.

Between them, they had created a clearing of snapped trunks and shattered branches that littered the frozen ground. She stood above the Manticore’s body and heaved in the frosty air as her blood cooled. Diana eyed the poisonous spikes buried in the tree trunks and deadly scorpion's tail buried in the ground mere feet away from her and felt a wave of relief.

_The humans would be safe._

“Wow, that’s a lot of teeth.”

Steve’s voice was faint, but she heard it over the sound of her thumping heart and immediately spun on the spot to face him. Her breath clouded up in the cold air and she cut through it to reach him on the other side of the clearing, only to stop short as she looked on him properly. The cold wind ruffled his hair and he looked dressed for the bad weather wearing his cream jumper and old jacket. He was translucent, like a beam of moonlight and when she tried to reach out to touch his face, to take his hand, her heart suddenly turned traitor and she stopped with a lurch whilst her feet rooted her to the spot.

He looked the same as he did in her memories, in her dreams and nightmares, only less muddy and tired but was only there in spirit. Not yet flesh and blood.

Diana breathed out reminded herself that she had completed her side of the bargain by slaying the Manticore, so instead of moving any closer, she allowed her tongue ran away from her.

“My mother told me bedtime stories of the old gods and the monsters. The Manticore had three rows of razor sharp teeth. Along with the head of a human, a lion’s body and bat wings...and she threw poisonous spikes from her scorpion tail.”

“Oh yeah?” Steve glanced down at the twisted snarl frozen on her head and grimaced, just as he did when he came across something a little unnerving. “Those claws look nasty too.”

Diana’s words continued to run away from her as she explained further, “A sister to the Sphinx, undying and unable to grow old.”

“Looks pretty dead to me.”

Diana shook her head, “Only in this form. My mother described her as half nymph and half snake, with scales that mirrored every shade of green under the sun...Steve, you’re here.”

“I am.”

He smiled back at her warmly and brushed back his hair, pleased by her reaction to his presence, but it wasn’t in the way that she remembered. There was something different about him and the way he spoke to her, like there was a distance between them despite everything they had been through.

She winced as a large flurry of snow passed through his cheek and landed on her chin. “But you're...also not. How?”

“Hades said I should get the chance to choose about coming back to a life I don't remember much of. I'm still a...ghost now. He said you could tell me things, and it would help me remember, to decide.”

“To remember…”

Her nerves jangled discordantly as she felt his request strike her heart, despite how solidly she had faced the Manticore. But, even now without remembering her fully, he still trusted her to have answers.

“Where do you want to start?”

Steve was quick off the mark and jumped into the first memory of the past he had, the most recent and smoke tinged one. His eyes flashed a deeper bluer, before merging again with the grey night sky. “The war. Hades said that we fought in a war to end all wars. I remember you wanted to stop Ares, to stop the war.”

Diana’s smile faded and her fingers twitched by her side. “There was a plane full of bombs ready to fly to London, and you flew it up into the sky and made it burst into flames to stop it from hurting innocent people. You did it to save them all. And after you saved the day I did stop Ares, but the war didn't end then, not as easily as I had hoped.”

“No, it didn’t.” Steve shook his head sadly, knowing that much from watching the constant stream of lost-looking men, women and children walking into the Asphodel Meadows after he had arrived.  

Diana turned away from him and overturned some churned up mud to retrieve her shield. With a heavy swipe, she brushed off the largest streaks of dirt from the red and golden emblem and then slotted it into place on her back. She took her time unwinding her lasso from the hulking mass of the Manticore’s torso, minding the lion’s paws, and reattached it to her waist. Several times she opened her mouth to speak but found there was a vast gap between her words so she continued to collect her belongings, her coat and finally sheathed her sword, all the while feeling his eyes on her back.  

Her shoulders were dropped low and she looked past him to the lights of the town, dim and speckled in the distance behind the treeline. “You were right, and I see now that humanity is flawed deeply. You fight and kill each other, for the sake of fighting and killing.”

Steve’s lips quirked up on one side at her repeated words and she suddenly felt her battle weariness and a lightness all at the same time.

“We're not all that bad.” He offered back, stepping close enough for her to see the buttons on his jacket glint faintly.

“No, you were right about that too. After your plane fell from the sky in flames and you were gone, I felt so much anger. More than I've ever felt.” Diana’s eyes broke away from his gaze, “In that moment, I was ready to crush Maru, but I saw fear in her eyes and I realised that you would have felt the same thing before you…”

As her face was overcast with a mix of shame and guilt, he threw out a confession of his own, “It wasn't what I thought it would be like. Death, you know. It's more peaceful than I imagined, a constant sort of peaceful.”

Diana opened her mouth, paused, but then asked anyway, “Do you want to come back?”

He was silent for a long time before he uncrossed his arms and shrugged. “I don't know. I’m beginning to remember more about who I was now, and a lot of things I wish I didn’t.”

“Oh.” She felt a twinge behind her ribs again and it made her eyes water to look at him.

He tipped his head to look back her, “I remember something else though, Diana, I wasn't lying when I said I wished we had more time.”

The wind blew fiercer through the bare branches and the twigs rattled against each other. The blast of air sent a shiver down her spine, but it didn't chill her for long because his smile put crinkles into the corners of his eyes in the way she dreamed about since they danced together at Veld. When she held her hand out again, she could feel the faint pressure of his translucent hand slipping past hers and the immaterial brush of his jacket sleeve on her wrist.   

He looked around at the grey clouds and said, “We should head back, it's late and the snow's only going to get worse. That coat’s not much help in this weather, I remember you’re used to blue skies and Mediterranean sunshine.”

They headed back towards the town and the dimmed glow of lights behind the treeline. People spilled out from the town hall into the snow dusted cobbled high street. As Steve and Diana walked closer, leaving faint footprints in the snow, she caught sight of the brightly painted banner strung up over the worn and chipped brickwork, _Christmas Eve Dance._ A group of people dressed in red capes with song books in their hands stood at the top of the steps of the hall and sang out the people, young and old, leaving in groups and couples. The singers’ harmonies rose and fell, and were echoed brokenly by a few of the merrier voices trailing off down the street.  

“It’s a party! They’re singing carols, is it Christmas?” Steve seemed brighter under the lamplights and his face lit up as he heard the music.

His excitement was infectious and Diana revelled in the sound of his voice as he hummed along.“Yes, it is.”  

The two of them hung back at the side of the building and watched the couples leave with their arms linked and pressed close to each other. Diana let out a sigh, recognising the weary but soft expressions on the ex-soldier’s faces. Some people were moving on with their lives after the war. She had struggled with that once the declarations of peace had been signed, unable to shake off the horrors she had seen. Others though, a handful of widows, widowers, and orphans coaxed out by family and friends, were not distracted in the same way and lingered on the steps to look around at the snow laying a blanket of white over their town and marvelled at it.

One brown haired woman in a crimson hat and broke off from the doors and headed out into the snowfall whilst pulling her woolen coat around her tighter and stuffed her red woolen scarf down the neck to keep the windchill out. She turned the corner and almost ran into Diana and Steve. Her shoes slid in the snow building up on the pavement and she only missed landing on her face when Diana reached out to grab her arm.

Once the woman had regained her balance, she let out a cloud of breath and swiped at her reddened cheeks. “Oh, aren’t you a lucky pair. What’s your name, miss?”

“Diana Prince.”

“Well then, Diana, hang on to each other, no matter how long or short because it’s worth it in the end. Old Pat’s speaking from experience, I can tell you that. I’m still waiting for my one to come home, broken bones take time, but bless, we’re the lucky ones.”

The red-scarfed woman exchanged a smile with Diana and tentatively stepped forwards, testing out her footing as she went on her way.

“Prince? You kept the name?” Steve asked as the street finally emptied out and the carollers headed home.

“I wanted to...keep something.” Diana replied slowly, dusting down her coat of the snow that had settled and half melted on her shoulders. “I have your watch too. I’ve kept your things at home, your London home. Etta let me stay.”

His blue eyes burned with curiosity when he looked at her. “Why did you? You could’ve tried to go home. What about your mom, and the rest of the island? Didn’t you want to get back to them.”

“I...wanted to stay. To see more of the world.” She sighed, because that much was still true. There was more to see, and even though she had finally laid down some roots in London when the war ended, she had continued exploring the war-torn continent while she helped others reach the safety of home.

“And you chose London? You hated it from the moment we sailed into the Thames.” Steve laughed at her, and then breathed out a huff of air. “Or did you really believe your mom when she said you couldn’t return. As last words go, her weren’t exactly ones I’d hang my hat on.”

Diana couldn’t even bring herself to argue with him, “You don’t have a hat. Anyway, _your_ last words meant something to me.”

“They did?” Steve slowed down and came to a stop in a quiet street, leaning back until his hands brushed against the solid wall behind him.  

She turned when she realised he wasn’t moving and raised her hand to him before letting it drop. “You really did save the day, Steve. After Ares, the war didn’t end. But I kept fighting until the end. I helped bring people home, whoever they were.”

“And the rest?”

Diana felt her heart skip a beat and for a split second she was back on the airfield, ears ringing and Steve’s jacket in her fists as he tried to pull away.This kind of love was painful. He had lied to her, tried to stop her from doing what she thought was her mission, even fought with her. For what felt like an age in itself, Diana had gone with what she thought she had heard because she wasn’t sure she could handle losing him again, in an entirely different way. Since he had gone, she had believed it was a kind of love best left untouched, like a boat out at sea, visible from shore but never making landfall for fear of it crumbling out of saltwater.

“You don’t remember?” Steve moved around to stand in front of her again. “Because it was the first thing I remembered when I saw you again in the Underworld. Not fully, but enough.”

She looked at him, solid enough in the half-light in the falling snow and felt her melted heart sing with joy, here it was again, the gift of loving a human who would die before she would. Diana understood now that time was a gift and ever fleeting, and that this was a second chance given by none other than the gods themselves. Hestia had told her that she would need her courage, and Diana knew that she could be braver than her fears, she only had to believe it.

“I do know that I love you, Diana.” Steve told her quietly as she stood frozen on the spot, lost in thought. “Diana?”

He slowly became flustered at her dumbstruck expression and after a moment looked to her hip and the golden loops that hung there. “I can hold the lasso, if you want. I remember that too, because it stung a bit. Actually a lot.”

Diana reached for him again, and when she did he was solid under her palms. She could feel his beating heart and she reached for his face. She was oblivious to the snow or the wind or hear anything else apart from their quiet breaths.

“I love you.” She told Steve with her smiling lips pressed up to his and he answered back wholeheartedly.

  
  
  
  



End file.
